Ronnie O’Sullivan will begin his quest for a record eighth world title against He Guoqiang in the first round of the World Snooker Championship at Crucible Theatre.
The 50-year-old will start the best-of-19-frames match on Tuesday, with the contest set to conclude on Wednesday. O’Sullivan currently shares the record of seven world titles in the modern era with Stephen Hendry.
He Guoqiang, ranked 47th in the world, secured his first appearance at the Crucible after defeating Jack Lisowski during the qualifying rounds at the English Institute of Sport.
Zhao Xintong Begins Title Defence
Defending champion Zhao Xintong will open the tournament on Saturday morning. The Chinese star made history last year by becoming the first player from China to win the world title.
He will face England’s Liam Highfield, who battled through four rounds of qualifying to secure his place in the main draw.
The tournament draw was revealed live on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.
Key First-Round Matches
World number one Judd Trump will take on Gary Wilson, while Masters champion Kyren Wilson faces 19-year-old debutant Stan Moody.
Four-time champion John Higgins will meet two-time finalist Ali Carter, while another four-time winner Mark Selby plays Jak Jones.
Elsewhere, Shaun Murphy faces Fan Zhengyi and former world number one Mark Allen takes on Zhang Anda.
Record Chinese Representation
This year’s tournament will feature a record 11 players from China in the main draw. Two all-Chinese matches will take place in the opening round, including Xiao Guodong against Zhou Yuelong and Wu Yize versus Lei Peifan.
The 17-day tournament begins on Saturday, with the final scheduled for May 3 and May 4. The event has been staged at the Crucible every year since 1977 and will remain there until 2045 after a recent agreement to redevelop the venue and expand seating capacity.
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